Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-01-13

it is positively essetial. | refer to peo
| Pile who come from a line of murderers-
that is. men who have descended directly
from families of criminal proclivities.
The man who walks around ready to com
nit willful, premeditated murder should
die. He belongs to race that we want
to wipe from the face of the earth. The
laws are liberal enough, with the various
degrees of homicide and manslaughter,
to protect the individuals who do il in the
heat of passion or under intense provoca-
ton
"And about womenY'
Of the law is changed from death by
hanging to death by electricity, then it
should and would be made to include wo-
men as well as men. Any discrimination
between the sexes would make the law I'M
constitutional
Commissioners Southwick said that in
the case of Mrs. Druse, the Herkimer
county murderess Gov. Hill has granted
the reprieve presumably with the idea that
the legislature might abolish hanging or
adopt some substitute suggested by the
commission.
"Would there be any objection TO exc
cutting women with electricity" was
asked.
''No, sir; there would not. There would
no longer be the same prejudice that
there is now, because Aanging is relic of
barbarism."
How do you propose using electrici-
ty"
"Just see here" said DR.. Southwick,
jumping up and seating himself in an
armchair. The condemned man can sit
naturally in chair like this, place
hishands on the metal arms
and converse with those around him. The
metal plates would be connected with a
powerful dynamo, and at the proper mo-
ment somebody in another room would
press a button, close the circuit, and the
fatal shock would pass through the body
of the subject. The charge would go
straight through the heart and lungs and
penetrate the system, death resulting in
stantly.n
"Would it be expensivey'
"The expense of the apparatus with
which to execute in Buffalo, for instance,
would be about $50. Connection could
be made with the electsic-Ight station,
and the expense of an execution would be
of little consequence. 1t would not cost
any more than the price of cigar to kill
/ Il
would be cheaper than hanging and much
easier
you believe, then, in electric execu-
tionsy'
ELECTRICITY is the coming power. Death
| is instantaneous and the body is not de-
faced. There is not the morbidness of n
hanging, which is relic of barbarism,
Just see n recent execution here, Her
Al L.
man breatled fifteen minutes after the
drop fell If that is instantaneous death
then l would rather have a lingering
death"
Have you considered poison as a means
of eXecutionY
"Prussic acid has been suggested, but
neither that nor garroting has met with
any favor. A few have advocated the
gullotine, but that ] think, is barbarous
mode of causing death. Hardly anyone
favors hanging in preference to electrici-
ty, the very system being barbarous, as is
the method"
'Do yo1 expect that your plan will be
adopteds"
II sincerely hope it will. Ifitis adopt
Cd by the coming legislature other states
will undoubtedly adopt it, and l think
within two years it will come into use all
over the world. 1t would certainly be
better than obliterating the death penal
tip, and, in case of a woman, there would
be less objection TO its operation than TO
hanging
Among numerous letters sent TO the
commission in response TO circular re-
quests for opinion was one from State
Senator Mcmillan. He declares that
hanging is barbarism; that il is uncer-
tain and very brutal. Electricity. on the
contrary, is instantaneous, painless and
does not mark the body. His theory is
TO have an electric execution department
established in the two principal state
prisons Sing Sing, and Auburn, where
prisoners sh ould be taken Immediately
after their death sentence is pronounced
on them.
He also says;
This, think will be OF sufficient gray
ity to maintain all the terrors of the pres
ent method. II is too often the case
where the condemned Is imprisoned ia
the county Jail in the vicinity Of his fam
lily and friends. he is bnoyed up with the
that the saw or file may aid ia his escape,
or that something else may be done by
his friends. who are continually about
him, thus keeping mp his spirits 10 the
last moment in the expectation that in
end he will not be executed. This will in
a great measure be removed the moment
he is placed in one OF the great state
prisons II is the certainty OF punish
ment more than swift or terrible punish
ment that will prevent crime"
His Plan 10 Fix His landlady.
Louis Grilic
DO you know I'm fOOiE excitedly
said an Olive street man. II rented a
furnished house from a woman
"What of thatY'
"What Of that; Oh. nothing Of il only
the devil Of it, that's all. Here I'm stuck
for wear in a furnished house, and here
is the owner running III every day 70 see
il we are running the furniture No
matter If We have company or not. it's
all the same to her, and every aeqCain-
lance Of mine in town knows that ! rent
a furnished house ard my wife Is So mar
assed that she is growing hysterical. It's
ali right. howeyer,I have one consolation.
I've got a friend Id the same boat only
he il in a worse fix.
$50"